NBA News Wire
Gibson mourns loss of 6-year-old nephew
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
Chicago Bulls forward Taj Gibson called his slain nephew the “future of our family” at the funeral for the 6-year-old on Friday in New York.
Prince Joshua “P.J.” Avitto was stabbed to death on Sunday in an apartment elevator.
Among the 1,500 friends, relatives and mourners who attended the service at St. Paul Community Baptist Church in East New York was Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau.
The 6-foot-9 Gibson said his nephew loved superheroes.
“The main thing I can always remember is he’d say, ‘I’m Superman, pick me up,'” Gibson said.
Gibson said after the service that he would miss the youngster who liked to ask him about basketball at family gatherings
“It’s going to be hard. It’s going to be real hard not having that young face running around the barbecues, saying, ‘Pick me up,'” Gibson said. “It really hits home.”
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and the Rev. Al Sharpton also paid their respects.
Daniel St. Hubert, a 27-year-old ex-convict, was arrested Wednesday and charged with the murder of the boy and the attempted murder of 7-year-old Mikayla Capers, who survived the stabbing attack. Wielding a steak knife, St. Hubert stabbed each child multiple times, according to police, and then fled from the building near where the children had been playing.
